Mental illness is just that, and it permeates the 'permanent', not situational homeless. Hallucinations, intense paranoia non-functional in normal social settings. Such folks will do anything to try and suppress their pain and confuson, starting with alcohol.
Endless studies have linked alcoholics and depression, which tens of millions self-treat because of either the social stigma of seeing mental health specialist or the lack of insurance to do so. And whereas some manage to live their lives as alcoholics, keeping a job, likely not a marriage, liver failure and heart issues await. Have lost several friends who were functional alcoholics, two had their own businesses, one a multi-milionaire, none made it past age 65, all died of liver disease.
Drugs. The influx of crack and meth have destroyed lives in monthes. It's users become feral, mindless thieves who will do anything for the next hit. Outpatient programs rarely work, incarceration first, rehab later the only way to dry them out.
Fetanyl is the most dangerous drug ever invented, cops have died from just unknowingy handling a package during vehicle searches. The Mexican cartels are flooding our country with it, and it's criminal that the current administration has not declared a war on it, destroying the labs, giving life sentences to those importing and distributing.
And the homeless problem is badly exacerbated by the illegal immigration crisis on the south border. This influx of millions of llegal immigrants, requring housing, medical care food and education, offering little other than a manual labor pool, severely drains local and federal resources that could otherwise be used to assist those willing to enroll in new start programs that require full participation and sobriety, prioritizing single moms and families.
In the end, the answer to all of our questions is money. And the problem will always remain of who is controlling the spending of our country's capitol, and on what.
samquinones.com
